ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – Seventeen rail cars derailed early Monday morning in Alachua County, according to Alachua County Fire-Rescue.
The derailment occurred around 3:30 a.m. a few miles north of Hawthorne city limits. It happened on County Road 474 and U.S. 301, according to ACFR.
A conductor received an indication the cars jumped the tracks. The train was carrying 59 rail cars and was heading southbound from Waycross to Tampa.
"HAZMAT did respond and verify there was no hazardous material incident," said Becky Butscher of the Alachua County Sheriff's Office.
Butscher said in the case of a train derailment, it takes time to get it under control, and that's why even though the conductor knew what happened, it took time to slow to a halt.
"There's 59 total cars, so obviously the laws of physics it can't stop immediately, but it appears it did travel for a period of time," Butscher said.
CSX is conducting the investigation and was awaiting the National Transportation Safety Board to arrive.
County Road 1474 will be closed for a minimum of 24 hours. Anyone who needs to access their residence from 1474 can do so by accessing State Road 26 or State Road 20.
No one was injured in the derailment.